Poma: The World´s Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open In Serbia

The Zlatibor Gold Gondola Lift, at the heart of a major tourist project linking the town of Zlatibor with the Tornik ski resort by air, via lake Ribničko.

Located in the popular tourist town of Zlatibor, within the municipality of Čajetina in Serbia, this new 9-km gondola lift has eclipsed the previous record-holder, the Tianmen Shan cable car (China) measuring 7.4 km. The total journey time is 25 minutes and treats passengers, skiers, hikers and walkers to breathtaking panoramic views of Zlatibor and its golden pine-covered mountain slopes, which gave the mountain its name ('zlatni' meaning 'golden' and 'bor' meaning 'pine tree' in Serbian). A project that is part of continuity since POMA had already participated in 2007 in the Tornik ski resort modernization by installing the first detachable chairlift of Serbia.

Tourist activities on offer near all stations

The line connects the tourist hub of Zlatibor to Tornik's summit, which peaks at an altitude of 1,496 metres. Zlatibor, also known as Kraljeve Vode ('King's Water'), has been a renowned Serbian tourist resort since the 19th century, particularly prized for its climate, its setting and its snowy slopes.    

This new gondola lift is part of the overall drive to strengthen and diversify the region's tourist attractions. Around the downhill resort in the centre of Zlatibor, the municipality is planning to build the biggest adventure park of the Balkans (1,000 m²); it will offer numerous leisure activities, such as zip wires, hanging bridges, tobogganing and climbing.

The middle station at lake Riničko, halfway between both terminals, will accommodate the forthcoming high-end tourist resort of 'Gold city', which will provide water-based activities, sports and recreational facilities to the 1 million European tourists expected over the next 10 years. Zlatibor is setting its sights on becoming Serbia's top tourist destination.

Lastly, the resort at the terminal located on Zlatibor's highest peak will not only offer outstanding views of the surrounding landscape and mountains from its scenic view-point, but will also invite visitors to hit the ski slopes in winter, such as mountain biking in the summer, and test their limits in an extreme-sport environment.

An ecological approach

POMA supported Zlatibor in its efforts to respect the local environment in particular, designing and building the gondola lift to satisfy numerous ecological standards. The municipality of Čajetina aims to become the first Serbian municipality to reach European ecological standards by 2020.

Opting for a gondola lift was fully in line with this approach, since it is currently one of the ecological means of transport available. It will reduce the number of vehicles travelling to Tornik and therefore cut CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions.

TECHNICAL DATA